Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses, Alto (S/M), Black

Product Information

Clearly this is a massive advantage for cyclists or pedestrians, but it also means you’re subjected to the noise of the world around you. For anyone who always walks around with earbuds in, as I do, this can be quite overwhelming when you first start out. There’s also considerable audio leakage at volume levels higher than 60%, so if you’re sitting near someone, they’ll be able to hear tinny sounds emanating from your sunglasses and, unfortunately, you'll need them at full volume to enjoy them over the sounds of public transport. The Bose Frames’ headline feature is that they're also a pair of wireless headphones, and for speakers that don’t actually sit in or on your ears, these sunglasses are rather impressive. Sound quality is surprisingly good, albeit not as full or bassy as you’ll get from a dedicated pair of cans. It’s unlikely you’ll be listening to these in too many loud locations, but when your ears are free to hear roadworks, vehicles, and even other people’s voices, it can make listening to any sort of audio too difficult to work with. AR Features

Bose introduces three new pairs of Frames audio sunglasses Bose introduces three new pairs of Frames audio sunglasses

We were recommended another app called Komrad AR, which is a game that lets you chat with a 'Soviet AI' from 1985, and we’re hoping to test that out further for future updates to this review. Just know the Bose Frames are unlikely to replace even average headphones anytime soon, as they simply aren't versatile enough. The Bose Frames were unveiled in early 2019, and we don’t currently expect to see any new designs or generations of the sunglasses any time soon. Design When there is an incoming call, pressing the multi-function button will answer the call, and pressing and holding it will reject the call. During an active call, pressing the button will end the call. The Bose Frames are the answer to the question: what if your sunglasses were also a set of smart, hidden headphones with no earbuds or no bone-conduction system, just a set of personal speakers?

Much more than just premium sunglasses

But between the two of them, the Bose Frames really demonstrate that augmented reality can go beyond vision, and we hope to see more apps take advantage of this. It should be easy to find compatible AR apps when more are added, as the Bose Connect app highlights them almost instantly. Battery life There’s also no great way of monitoring the battery life on the glasses. When you turn them on and off, you’ll be greeted with the battery amount in audio form, but it doesn’t offer a way to monitor how much charge is left over visually from the glasses themselves. At Lensology, we supply replacement Bose lenses and prescription Bose lenses. Our in-house reglazing experts can even create a custom lens for your Bose frames. We offer all types of sunglasses lenses including polarised, transition, tinted and photochromatic options. No matter what your prescription needs are, whether it’s single vision, transition, bifocal, or varifocal (to name a few), Lensology can provide lenses for your Bose frames along with any sunglass lens you choose.

Bose Frames (Tempo, Tenor and Soprano) review | TechRadar Bose Frames (Tempo, Tenor and Soprano) review | TechRadar

In the real world if you have the volume below 50% people sitting right next to you won’t hear it. In fact I took delight in the look of surprise on people’s faces when I gave them the Frames and they suddenly heard my tunes blasting out as they put them on. It’s really very impressive. Crank them up beyond 85% volume and you start to hear distortion, but they pretty loud by that point. Most of my listening was about at 60% on the street or about 30% in quieter spots. On the other hand, the Tenor and Soprano have 16mm drivers, and the sound is still quite enjoyable. These two models aren't quite as loud as the Tempo – at 50% volume, the Tempo was more than sufficient on a riverside walk with squawking birds and chatting strollers, while we needed to up the volume on the Soprano to about 65% to enjoy our tunes.Sensors are hidden in the frames that can detect your head position and interactions such as taps to the side of the glasses. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian Bose had to design tiny speakers to fit into the arms of the Frames from scratch, along with some proprietary tech that, Bose promises, directs 99% of the sound to the wearer’s ears, with only 1% leaked.Though if you’re listening at full volume, you’ll find the leakage seems much worse than that. The USB cable comes in a small microfibre bag lose in the case with the Frames, which makes getting them out a bit clumsy Designed for athletes, the Tempo also comes with different sized nose clamps to adjust fit, but we found that none of the provided options helped. On the other hand, this reviewer found the Soprano to be a great fit, but others found it too tight. Moral of the story – try these on first before you decide to buy a pair.

Bose Frames review: smart audio sunglasses are a blast Bose Frames review: smart audio sunglasses are a blast

This means you’re able to keep your ears and head free of anything but your pair of sunglasses, while still being able to listen to music, podcasts or audiobooks.

Bose Prescription Lenses

Another thing you’ll need to get used to is not flipping the Frames upside down while they’re still connected to your phone. Doing so will disconnect Bluetooth and you’ll need to re-pair by pressing that little gold button. Like their predecessors, the three new Frames are great if you want to lie by the beach or pool and listen to music, or enjoy your tunes while on a walk, run or hike. While Bose has done a lot to improve sound quality, the new Frames don't quite cut it in louder environments like train stations or public transport. They don’t suit city use, and they’re not all that suitable for public transport either, but if you’re looking for a fun device that’s different to anything else out there then these may be exactly what you're after.

Bose Frames review | TechRadar

Bose Tempo sunglasses are the ultimate high-performance sports sunglasses, with Bose’s cutting edge Open Ear Audio. Tempo’s sleek design allows you to listen to your music and your surroundings at the same time for a unique workout experience. Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials It’s worth noting how much bigger the Alto glasses are than the Rondo. Some people we handed them to with smaller heads found they wouldn’t sit on their face, so the size difference is something to consider here if you buy some. The Bose Frames look similar to many ordinary pairs of plastic-framed sunglasses fitted with polarized lenses. When in Bluetooth mode, Bose Frames search for and connect to the most recently connected active Bluetooth-enabled device. If that device is unavailable, Bose Frames will attempt the next most recently connected device.This could also be why the Frames are so incredibly light though, with both styles weighing around 45g. For charging the Tenor and Soprano use a custom magnetic pogo-pin USB charger but the Tempo goes with USB-C charging, which is nice because you don't have to worry about losing that proprietary adapter. You get just over three hours of continuous listening out of the Frames before the battery runs dry, which is normally enough. Charging is fairly slow and needs a proprietary magnetic USB cable that snaps on to the inside of the right arm. Our reglazing service is an easy and convenient way to get prescription lenses for your Bose frames, at a fraction of the price of high street opticians.